I was really surprised to find this article here on Japan! 
By the way, before I flew there 6 weeks ago I found a free online hotel search engine which gave me really great rates for the Ritz Carlton Hotel. 
If you're interested give it a try over at http://tinyurl.com/Japan-hotelz 
They've got all big hotels there and I personally could not find any cheaper rates online. 
Good luck in Japan people, Calvin Shockey